Lawmakers pass cigarette tax for stadium help

At the request of Gov. Mark Dayton's administration, the Legislature is temporarily rerouting money from a new cigarette tax and from a corporate tax to backfill a lagging stadium fund.

The fix is part of a giant tax plan on course for final legislative approval. The House signed off early Monday.

Last year, lawmakers authorized a new form of gambling to cover debt on the state's $398 million stadium share. But those games have failed to take off as hoped, leaving some worried as a summer bond sale approaches.

Republicans say Dayton is breaking a promise that the stadium wouldn't be paid with general treasury dollars. Dayton has said he's making sure the stadium project doesn't fail.